Students showcase some 100 photographs from visit to Hopi reservation

North Central College student anthropology majors Lindsey Pettit, Audrey Weaver, Jessica Pantel and Manuel Holston-Brown will exhibit their work at the College through Oct. 27.

Titled “The Hopi Way: A Week on the Reservation,” the exhibit includes more than 100 photographs of the Native American reservation, cultural sites and artifacts handmade by the students during their 2013 spring break service trip to Arizona to visit the Hopi people. The free exhibit is open to the public and on display in the College’s Meiley-Swallow Hall Gallery, 31 S. Ellsworth St. An artist reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15; complimentary refreshments will be served.

Pettit, of Aurora, is a senior majoring in anthropology with a minor in art history. In her travels to the Hopi reservation, she wanted to “observe how art is intertwined with daily life on a reservation.”

Weaver, of Carey, Ohio, is a sophomore majoring in both anthropology and interactive media studies and hoped to gain a rare glimpse into an overlooked culture.

Holston-Brown, of Westmont, is a senior majoring in sociology and anthropology with a minor in religious studies. His journey, he says, “allowed me to ask questions leading to a diverse understanding of a diverse culture.”

Pantel, of Beach Park, graduated in June 2013 and majored in anthropology and sociology and minored in Spanish. “The chance to immerse myself in another culture in such a short amount of time was a life-changing experience,” she says.

The students created the exhibit to share the vast multifaceted culture of the Hopi and the radically different environment of reservation life. Their artists’ statement notes, “Since art is a constant throughout Hopi history and daily life, it seemed appropriate to document our short journey through photography.”

Christine Rabenold, assistant professor of art, is faculty advisor for the exhibit. For more information about the exhibit or gallery hours, contact Rabenold at 630-637-5543 or cmrabenold@noctrl.edu.

Art students at North Central College learn traditional and contemporary media; engage in analytical, critical and abstract thinking; and learn to communicate ideas visually. Students attend gallery and museum openings and exhibits in Naperville and Chicago, meet visiting artists, enter juried exhibitions and gain an academic foundation for graduate study in studio art, art education, art history, art therapy, arts administration, art criticism and visual communications. Visit northcentralcollege.edu/majors/art to learn more about North Central’s art program.